All 2025 Superhero Movie Scores Are In — One Surprising Flop Takes the Top Spot

2025 has been a big year for superhero movies, with several major releases keeping fans busy. It kicked off with Captain America: Brave New World, followed by summer hits like Thunderbolts* and Superman.

The superhero season is wrapping up soon with Fantastic Four: First Steps. Now that critics’ scores are out for most of these movies, it’s clear the year was mostly a success, at least when it comes to reviews. Even though many films struggled at the box office, both critics and audiences generally liked what they saw. There’s one big exception though.

At the bottom of the ratings list sits Captain America: Brave New World, with critics giving it a low 46% score and audiences rating it 75%. Critics were mixed on the movie’s story, its connections to other Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, and its visual effects.

The overall reaction was described as negative or mixed. Still, many praised the performances, especially Anthony Mackie and Danny Ramirez. The critics’ consensus said, “Anthony Mackie capably takes up Cap’s mantle and shield, but Brave New World is too routine and overstuffed with uninteresting Easter eggs to feel like a worthy standalone adventure for this new Avengers leader.” Metacritic gave it a score of 42 out of 100 from 56 critics, calling it “mixed or average.”

Audience feedback was also mixed. CinemaScore gave the film a “B–,” which is the lowest grade for an MCU film so far, and PostTrak rated it three stars out of five.

Next up is Superman, which received much better reviews. It holds an 83% approval rating from critics and an impressive 92% from audiences.

The site’s consensus reads, “Pulling off the heroic feat of fleshing out a dynamic new world while putting its champion’s big, beating heart front and center, this Superman flies high as a Man of Tomorrow grounded in the here and now.” Metacritic scored it 68 out of 100, meaning the reviews were generally favorable.

Critics enjoyed the film’s fun, colorful, and sincere approach, though some thought it had too many characters and ideas packed in. The performances of actors like David Corenswet, Susan Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult were widely praised. Audiences gave the movie an “A−” from CinemaScore, matching the score of Man of Steel. PostTrak reported that 86% of viewers gave positive feedback, and 74% said they would definitely recommend it.

Fantastic Four: First Steps hasn’t hit theaters yet, but the review embargo just lifted, and early scores are in. It currently has an 86% critic score from over 130 reviews, though audience ratings aren’t available yet.

Critics praised the film’s strong cast chemistry and its retro 1960s design, saying it does Marvel’s First Family justice. Metacritic gave it a 64 out of 100, marking it as generally favorable.

The top-rated superhero film this year is Thunderbolts*, which scored 88% from critics and an outstanding 93% from audiences. Critics loved how it brought together a group of unlikely heroes, with Florence Pugh standing out.

The critics’ consensus reads, “Assembling a ragtag band of underdogs with Florence Pugh as their magnetic standout, Thunderbolts* refreshingly goes back to the tried-and-true blueprint of the MCU’s best adventures.” Metacritic gave it a 68 out of 100, meaning generally favorable reviews. Audiences gave it an “A–” on CinemaScore and a 4.5 out of 5 star rating on PostTrak, with 74% recommending the movie.

Despite the strong reviews, Thunderbolts* was a box office disappointment. As of mid-July 2025, it earned about $190 million in the U.S. and Canada and $192.1 million internationally, totaling $382.1 million worldwide. This makes it one of the MCU’s lowest-grossing films. Variety reported the movie needed to make an “unachievable” $425 million worldwide just to break even.

Marvel boss Kevin Feige recently commented on the film’s struggles. He explained that many viewers thought they had to watch tons of previous MCU content to understand Thunderbolts*, which wasn’t true. This misconception likely hurt its box office performance.

Overall, 2025 was a mixed but mostly positive year for superhero movies. While some films didn’t perform well financially, critics and fans have generally enjoyed what the genre had to offer.

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